A Network Attached Storage (NAS) System can enable multiple computers to share the same storage space at once, minimizing overhead by centrally managing storage devices. A NAS may comprise one or more storage disks, Ethernet connectivity, and an operating system. For instance, a NAS can include a UNIX/Linux operating system (OS) to manage one or more hard disk drives that can be arranged into logical, redundant repositories or Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks (RAID). Moreover, a NAS can provide client services in one or more file transfer protocols including NFS (popular on UNIX systems), SMB/CIFS (Server Message Block/Common Internet File System) (used with MS Windows systems), AFP (used with Apple Macintosh computers), or NCP (used with OES and Novell NetWare).
Communication with a NAS can occur over Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). More specifically, client computing devices can utilize any of several higher-level protocols built on top of TCP/IP.
A NAS can provide several advantages over a general-purpose servers including but not limited to faster data access, easier administration, and simple configuration. A NAS can remove the responsibility of file serving from other servers on the network. Additionally, a NAS can be added to a network when more hardware space is desired without shutting down the servers for maintenance or upgrades. As a result, a NAS can reduce the costs associated with a file server. For example, a NAS can have its own embedded operating system running in simplified hardware, so there is no need to invest in a full-featured network operating system and/or general-purpose computer hardware.
There is often a business need to access data that resides on NAS devices from cross-platform client computing devices running different operating systems. The most common examples include client computing devices running Windows, UNIX based OS and OS X. Samba is a client/server technology that implements network resource sharing across operating systems. A NAS can implement Samba services to make UNIX/LINUX logical storage area shares to Windows client computing devices through the operating system browsers such as Windows Explorer, Network Neighborhood, and Internet Explorer.
Logical storage area shares can be configured in a NAS with a variety of access level permissions to users, group or users or users associated with a domain name. Similarly, specific operating systems can have particular methods to manage access level permissions. For example, Windows OS can rely on Access Control List (ACL) with Access Control Entries (ACE). Each ACE in an ACL can identify a user and specific access rights allowed, denied or audited for that user.
Conventional NAS are limited in the way access control lists are managed from a NAS to the network clients in cross-platform networks. For example, when the operating system running a conventional NAS is different from the operating system in one or more client terminals, client permissions changes performed in the conventional NAS with respect to logical storage areas, file shares and/or digital objects may not be accommodated or supported over all the cross-platform client terminals. Different platforms can exhibit slightly different behaviors, endemic bugs, or glitches, all of which restrict developers to perform only the lowest common denominator subset of features. Conversely, the NAS disclosed here can include specialized hardware and software components that enable a comprehensive spectrum of client permission operations in cross-platform networks, including granting and subsequently modifying client permissions over file shares, folders, and files.